Acceptance
by acceptmyawkwardness
Summary: Korra is trying to deal with the aftermath of her fight with Zaheer. Korra realizes that adjusting to being a wheelchair bound Avatar is a long and difficult journey, and that acceptance is an even harder journey. Bolin seems to be the only one to realize that ignoring the problem isn't going to fix it. Set after the book 3 season finale


Korra was running through the caves that Zaheer and the rest of the Red Lotus hid out at, being chased by a flying figure, which she didn't dare try to catch a glimpse of. She felt as if she'd been running for hours, she wasn't sure how long they'd been fighting.

Suddenly she skidded to a halt, stopped by a small cliff and a large opening in the cave. Her heart was racing and she was terrified, she had nowhere to go. She turned and saw Zaheer, with a strange grin on his face.

"Korra!" Someone shouted from behind her, and the young avatar spun around to see Bolin chained up and hanging above a pit of lava.

"Bolin! Don't worry, just hang tight, I'll get you down!" Korra was letting go of her fear and finding determination replacing it.

"You think so, do you? You won't get very far, avatar." They sparred, air against air, air against fire, air against earth, Korra tried everything and she felt completely beaten.

"Korra! Please hurry, the lava is rising!" Bolin shouted; his voice full of strain and fear. Another few minutes of fighting went by, with Bolin shouting for Korra's help in the background, and somewhere Zaheer slipped up. It was small, but it was all Korra needed, before she had him on the ground, her foot placed on his chest and her arms ready to shoot flames if necessary.

Then she heard Bolin's screams, she looked behind her and saw Ming-Hua choking Bolin with her waterbending arms.

"Nooo!" Korra forgot everything, her mind was set on Bolin, and his terrified face slowly losing it's color. Korra ran for all she was worth, when suddenly she just stopped running altogether. She was lying on the ground, unable to move her legs. She pushed herself up onto her arms and looked behind her, seeing her unmoving legs, and a wheelchair right behind her. She looked back up in front of her just in time to see Ming-Hua choke the life out of Bolin, and see his lifeless body hang there by chains.

Korra woke up in a sweat, her hair plastered to her face, and she sat up with a start. Her panting was almost hyperventilating and she had to count to ten to calm herself down. She was calmer, but the moment she remembered the sight of Bolin she started back up again, she was so scared, and felt so helpless. How could she be the avatar if she couldn't even protect the ones she cared for most.

She ripped the blankets off of her, deciding a midnight snack or maybe a shower would calm her down. Bringing her legs to the side of the bed, she looked over at the wheelchair next to her and stubbornly ignored it.

"I don't need a damned wheelchair; I'm the avatar for spirits sake." She put pressure on one leg, and let out a hiss at the pain, but she braced herself for it. She then attempted to stand and the pain was more than she was expecting, with a shriek she collapsed and landed hard on the ground.

"Shit…"

She was so mad, at herself, at the universe, at whatever had decided to make the avatar wheelchair bound. She laid her head in her hands and pulled at her hair, talking to herself in a harsh tone.

"Why why why, this isn't right! How could this happen to me! I never asked to be the fricken avatar, but I accepted it, I understood, and I took my duties seriously, I tried so hard, I beat the unbeatable, and I racked my brain to figure out the right answer, even when all you stupid past lives _deserted_ me and you throw me in a wheelchair!" Korra was getting louder and louder and didn't realize until it was too late that someone had slipped into her room.

**Author's note;**

I just finished book 3 and have yet to see any of book 4, (although unfortunately I've already had the ending spoiled, thanks Tumblr) but this is my take on how things pick up, on Opal's character and Korra's reaction to everything so yeah, hope you guys enjoy it! And some follows/reviews/comments would help to keep me motivated since I have a tendency to stop in the middle of a fanfic. Hope you guys enjoy my stories~


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